Museu Nacional Do Azulejo, Lisbon

It is easy to grow blasé about tiles while in Lisbon, so many streets and buildings are decorated with them that after a while they almost disappear. Here, at the dedicated museum, are large-scale murals made from tiles – the most spectacular being a 1,300-piece panorama of the city as it was before the 1755 earthquake, including the Madre Deus convent that houses this museum, one of the few still standing from that time. Examples from the 20th century shoe the forms variety, notably a panel of three-dimensional eyes. Should tiles pall, there’s a wildly ornate chapel to explore and a café leading to a deliciously cooling garden.

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